


Goodnight, Mr. Knope

by zarrati



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: F/M, post ep, wedding fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-30
Updated: 2014-09-30
Packaged: 2018-02-19 07:39:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2380265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarrati/pseuds/zarrati





	Goodnight, Mr. Knope

 

  
Leslie Knope stepped into the dimly lit hallway of Pioneer Hall, her husband’s arm still wrapped around her shoulders. _Husband_. The word felt foreign as it rattled around in her head and yet it was so utterly perfect. She finally married Ben Wyatt, the former state auditor who came to slash her department’s budget with a machete, but instead managed to worm his way into her life and into her heart.

  
For the second time that day, Leslie questioned whether or not she was actually dreaming.  As they slowly made their way down the hallway, Leslie reflected on the crazy chain of events that led them to that very moment: the failed emergency response drill, the wildly successful Pawnee Commons Gala, and of course, their two attempts at a wedding ceremony.

Her heart swelled as she thought of her friends passed out on the floor of her office. None of this would have happened had it not been for them. April and Andy broke into City Hall and tracked down a groggy Ethel Beavers just so Leslie and Ben could have a marriage license; Tom used his entrepreneurial know how to provide all of the food for the Gala; Donna stepped up to take control of the Gala in Leslie’s absence throughout the day; even Chris and Jerry proved themselves to be useful.

Then, of course, there was Ann. Sweet, beautiful Ann. She was Leslie’s constant throughout the day, tackling emergency response drills and throwing together Leslie’s entire wedding ensemble in two hours, all without so much as batting an eye.

Her thoughts then drifted to the man they just passed sipping whiskey in his office. Ron Swanson was a man of unwavering ideals, simple pleasures, and he had a heart 100 times bigger than he would dare to admit. Leslie knew that he loved her in his own way, his declaration to her in that very hallway only hours ago all but told her that. He wouldn’t have taken on _Pawnee Today_ or defended her against Councilman Jamm if he didn’t care.

Leslie didn’t realize that she was crying again until Ben stopped walking and gently wiped her tears away with his thumb.

“I didn’t think you had any more tears left in you after we ran out of Gatorade,” he joked, looking down at her with eyes filled with a mixture of mirth and complete adoration.

She retaliated by lovingly bumping her shoulder into his side and he squeezed her even closer to him.

“We have the best friends in the entire world,” she said with a sniffle, her voice laced with emotion.

Ben nodded in agreement, “We do. We really do. I can’t believe they did all of this.”

“I can. They are a handful sometimes, but they have never let me down before, not when it mattered.”

“True. They really do love you,” Ben said as he leaned to rest his cheek against her head.

Leslie closed her eyes and let out a loving sigh as she felt his cheek brush her hair.

“Us,” she responded. “They really do love _us_.”

She felt his mouth form a soft smile at her words, and for the millionth time that day, she was overcome with love for the man who held her in his arms. They continued to walk through City Hall in a comfortable silence, the events of the day finally catching up to them. As they approached the exit, Leslie let out a small yawn.

“Come on, let’s get you home,” Ben said as he opened the door, the cold, outside air hitting them full force. Leslie let out a small shiver as Ben wrapped his tuxedo jacket around her small shoulders. She accepted the jacket gratefully and pulled him down for a brief but passionate kiss.

“I love you,” she whispered against his lips.

“I love you too, so much,” he responded as he rested his forehead against hers. Ben took a deep breath, basking in the scent that was so distinctly Leslie. Another cold gust of wind blew against them and pulled them out of their reverie. He reached down to grab her hand and moved his mouth to her ear.

“I want to go home and make love to my wife,” he whispered, and Leslie felt another shiver run through her, this time not from the cold.

She wordlessly nodded and allowed him to lead her to the passenger side of his car. Once they were both buckled in, Ben started the engine and drove the familiar route from City Hall to their home. At some point during the drive, Ben’s right hand found Leslie’s left, and he mindlessly rubbed his thumb over the new band that accompanied her engagement ring.

Leslie stared at their joined hands and let out a contented sigh. She looked up at him and saw a wistful smile on his face, his eyes moving back and forth between her and the road. She returned the smile and squeezed his hand. Over the last three years, there were a lot of ups and downs, joy and heartbreak that lead them to that moment. She married the man of her dreams, and she wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world.  
  
  
  
  
~~~

After what seemed like an eternity, Ben finally pulled into their driveway. He sprinted around to meet Leslie as she got out of the car, and he lifted her into his arms. She let out a startled shriek of laughter at his sudden movement and her hands immediately went around his neck, huge grins plastered on both of their faces.

Ben carried her to their front door and Leslie giggled as he struggled to unlock the door with her still in his arms.  "I probably should have thought this out better" he grunted, the laughter in his eyes betraying any sense of annoyance. He finally managed to open the door with a triumphant grin and carried his wife over the threshold.

"Welcome home Councilwoman Mrs. Ben Wyatt," he whispered with an impish grin, his nose barely brushing against hers.

"Shut up," she retorted with a smile and pressed her lips to his.

He moved to carry her upstairs to their bedroom but Leslie insisted that she was perfectly capable of climbing the stairs herself. They exchanged passionate kisses as they made their way upstairs, but neither seemed to be in any particular rush.

This was a stark contrast to their first night together all of those months ago after their first kiss outside of Ben’s office. That night was a flurry of hands and lips and tongues exploring every inch of exposed skin. They were almost completely unclothed before they even reached the staircase leading to Leslie’s bedroom. The sex was frantic, rough, and wonderful, unlike anything either of them had ever experienced before. It was a release of months of pent up frustration and passion.

But now there was no sense of urgency, no pent up passion or frustration. It was just Ben and Leslie who only hours ago pledged their love to each other before their closest friends. They had the rest of their lives together, this was just the beginning.

The finally made their way into their bedroom and are  struck by the normalcy of everything, the speed at which everything progressed becoming increasingly evident. That morning they were an engaged couple planning a wedding that was still three months away, the upcoming Gala at the forefront of both of their minds.

Bridal magazines lay open on Leslie’s nightstand amidst her idea binders for the Pawnee Commons Fundraiser; a well worn copy of _A Game of Thrones_ and an iPad occupy Ben’s side. The bed is half made, and there are a few articles of clothing strewn about on the floor. There was no Honeymoon Suite, no satin sheets, or rose petals on the bedspread. To an outsider, it looked as though tonight was the same as every other.  Except it wasn’t; they were married now.

Leslie broke the silence as she looked around, “When I left here this morning, I had a thousand different ideas as to how today would end. Getting married was definitely not one of them.” She wrapped her arms around Ben’s middle and laid her head against his chest. “But, God, I am so glad we did this.”

“Me too, Les. You have no idea,” Ben replied as he wrapped his own arms around her and brought his lips to hers. It was gentle at first, slowly building in intensity as he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

When they broke for air, Ben ran his hands down her dress and settled them on her waist.

“You looked so beautiful tonight,” he said eyeing her up and down. “The second I saw you walk into the tent, I swear my heart stopped. Ann really outdid herself with this dress.”

“It’s perfect. But as much as I love this dress, I want you to take it off of me right now.”

Ben chuckled as he swooped down to kiss her again. “With pleasure.”

He unfastened the buttons on the back of the dress and kissed  along her neck and shoulders as he slid the white cloth down her body. Leslie quickly stepped out of the dress and gently laid it across the back of the overstuffed chair in the corner of the room. Clad only in her underwear, Leslie made her way back over to Ben, and she saw his eyes grow even darker with desire.

“You are wearing entirely too much clothing right now,” she purred as she pulled at his bowtie and began to undo the buttons of his shirt. Her actions seemed to pull him from his stupor and his hands flew to unbuckle his belt.

Soon Ben was stripped down to his boxers, and his lips began a journey across Leslie’s face and neck. His fingers made nonsensical patterns up and down her stomach before making their way to her back and unfastened her bra.

Leslie let out breathy moan as Ben grasped her breasts, her hands that were immersed in his hair suddenly tightening their hold on him.

“Bed. Now,” she groaned into his lips and Ben stepped back until he felt the backs of his legs hit the mattress. He pulled her with him as he collapsed onto the bed, and after a brief repositioning, he was lying on his back as she straddled him, their tongues battling for dominance. He could feel her heat against his lower abdomen through her thin panties and he growled against her lips.

Grabbing her hips, he flipped them both over so he was now hovering over her. He attacked her mouth again and pressed himself into her upper thigh, letting her know that he was just as ready as she was. He felt Leslie moan into his mouth in response and grind herself against him.

Ben kissed and licked his way down her body, sucking one of her breasts into his mouth.

“Oh God, Ben!” she screamed and arched herself into him.

After several minutes, Ben moved his attention to the neglected breast, but soon felt Leslie’s toes inching his boxers down.

“Getting impatient, are we?” he asked with a smirk, his eyes focused on her now heaving chest.

“Don’t get smug,” Leslie panted. “I suggest that you take those damn boxers off so you can have sex with your wife.”

At hearing Leslie call herself his wife, a fire sparked in Ben’s eyes and he leaned back to completely remove his shorts. Throwing them across the room, he pressed the length of his body against Leslie’s and began to assault her mouth once again. His fingers roamed south and slid under the waistband of her panties, lightly grazing the flesh between her thighs. He twitched in response to the whimpers that escaped her, and he felt how ready she was for him.

Ben quickly divested Leslie of the last barrier of clothing that separated them and aligned himself between her legs. He could feel Leslie’s hands running down his back before settling on one of her favorite spots: his ass.

“God, I love your butt,” she moaned against lips and pushed against him in an attempt to get him inside of her.

He resisted her push, instead taking his hands and placing them on either side of her face.

“Leslie, look at me baby,” he whispered, and as she met his eyes, the love and awe that she saw in them was enough to take her breath away. Taking a deep breath, Ben continued to speak, his voice so thick with emotion that he wasn’t sure he would make it through without falling apart.

“Les, I just want you to know that everything I said today was true. You are the one I spent my whole life looking for. Every shitty thing that has ever happened to me in my life, my parents’ divorce, Ice Town, living on the road for over a decade and never feeling like I had a home, it was all worth it. It was all worth it because it eventually lead me to you. You took a cynical state auditor and showed me just how special a town could be. You taught me how to build something instead of tearing it down. You made me see that buildings have feelings and that hope and optimism weren’t negative qualities that made you naïve and weak. But most importantly, you gave me a home. For the first time in 17 years, I had a home. Because home is not just some place on a map. It’s wherever the people are whom you love the most. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I do know that I will spend the rest of my life building that home with you, wherever that may take us.”

By the end of Ben’s speech, tears were freely flowing out of Leslie’s eyes. She didn’t bother wiping them away; instead she cupped Ben’s face in her hand and slowly ran her thumb back and forth over his cheek.

“You didn’t do anything to deserve me other than loving me, Ben. I meant everything that I said earlier too. You have done more for me than anyone else has ever done or ever will do. You left three different jobs for me, you supported me 100% in everything that I did, but more importantly, you _believed_ in me. I knew the moment that you gave me that Knope 2012 pin that you were the man I wanted to have by my side forever. Those few months that we were apart were some of the worst times of my life, but you never abandoned me. You stood by me and supported me even though it killed you, just to make me happy. I know I apologized a million times before, but I am so sorry that I caused you so much pain….”

He shook his head, “No, Leslie-”

“Stop it, I know I did! I only cared about what I wanted and steamrolled you into being around me because I didn’t know what I would do without you. But now I won’t ever have to know what it’s like to not have you by my side, and that thought alone fills me with so much hope that I think my heart might explode. I love you so much, Ben Wyatt. You truly are all I need.”

Tears were now forming in Ben’s eyes and he captured Leslie’s lips with his own and simultaneously pushed himself into her. They both groaned loudly into the kiss as each one basked in the feeling of being joined together for the first time as husband and wife.  
  
  
  
~~~  
  


 

 

What seemed like hours later, Leslie lay curled up in Ben’s arms, both completely spent.

“Ben, that was amazing.”

“I told you, slow and steady wins the race,” a smirk playing across his lips.  “You weren’t so bad yourself there, Mrs. Wyatt.”

He feigned a yelp of pain as she twisted his nipple in retaliation.

“Very funny, Ben.”

“Hon, I’m just messing with you. I am glad that you are keeping your name. I expected nothing less, actually. It just feels so damn good that I get to say that and have it be real.”

“I know. I feel the same way. But you call me that outside of the bedroom, and you will pay.”

He pulled her closer to his chest and kissed the top of her head. “I am shaking in my boots.”

That remark earned him another pinch to his side, but both of them had grins so wide that their cheeks started to hurt.

They both let out large yawns and realized that they had been up for the better part of 24 hours.

“Time to sleep,” Leslie said, another yawn escaping past her lips.

“Now there’s something you don’t hear every day, Leslie Knope advocating sleep.”

“Well, today has been an especially tiring day. I think we have more than earned the right to be exhausted. Besides, we both need our rest because in a few hours, I _will_ be tiring you out again.”

“I will be looking forward to it.”

They shared another round of kisses before settling themselves into their usual sleeping positions, Leslie’s head nestled against Ben’s chest.

Ben placed one last kiss on the top of his wife's head and closed his eyes.  
  
When he thought he heard her breathing evening out, he whispered into the dark room, “Goodnight, Mrs. Wyatt.”  
  
After a brief silence, he heard her equally soft response. “Goodnight, Mr. Knope.”


End file.
